NEWTOWN -- Just before midnight Wednesday, the Board of Education voted 4-3 for a closed-door session to debate Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson's recent performance and decisions she made in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School shootings.

Asked whether this was about disciplinary action or would be connected to Robinson's future evaluation, Debbie Leidlein, school board chairman, declined comment. She said she will not discuss personnel matters in public.

Leidlein added the executive session to the agenda late Tuesday and sent email messages about it to board members.

The News-Times has filed a Freedom of Information request for copies.

Mistrust between Robinson and some school board leaders has been brewing for more than a year, and prior to the Dec. 14 deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Robinson was in a tug-of-war with Leidlein and other board officers over her duties and responsibilities.

Transportation and budget issues, union negotiations and the operations at Reed Intermediate School have been sources of conflict.

Leidlein has stated publicly that she does not always trust information provided by Robinson. She said she does independent research, and what she learns is not the same as what she has been told by Robinson.

At a board meeting Wednesday night, Leidlein and Robinson were at odds over whether the district should ask for a reprieve from giving the Connecticut Mastery Test this year.

Robinson said her talks with state education leaders suggested this was an unlikely proposition. Leidlein said she learned the opposite.

Later the board voted 5-2 to seek a waiver from state officials, who must obtain federal permission.

In the summer, the board voted 4-3 against extending Robinson's contract. As it now stands, her job term in Newtown will expire in June 2014. In the spring, the board can vote for or against an extension.

Robinson has been mentioned as a possible superintendent candidate elsewhere, but she has said she wants to stand in support of the district's students, staff and families, all of whom have suffered a life-altering trauma.

The board is now reviewing Robinson's proposed budget for 2013-14.

Robinson had meetings Thursday and could not be reached for comment. Board members could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Robinson accepted an invitation to testify before Congress about the need for gun violence prevention and mental health services to avoid school shootings in the future.

While introducing the superintendent in Washington, new U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th, heaped effusive praise on Robinson's leadership during the weeks a global spotlight has shone on Newtown,

The days after the shooting, Robinson worked closely with all the school board members. She said she hoped strained relations with some of them might improve as everyone focused on the "big picture" of the district's healing.